ADVERTISEMENT
    The Instagram Access Token is expired, Go to the Customizer > JNews : Social, Like & View > Instagram Feed Setting, to refresh it.
Straight to the grid
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Driver News
    • Latest
    • Team News
    Albert Park

    UPDATE: COVERAGE WILL RESUME IN FULL FOR THE 2024 SEASON

    Verstappen

    Max Verstappen extends championship lead with Miami GP win

    Perez Pole

    Miami GP starting grid: Perez to lead from lights out ahead of Alonso, Sainz and Magnussen

    Baku, Championship Standings

    Here are the Championship Standings ahead of the Miami GP

    Perez, Red Bull

    DRIVER REACTION: Perez wins the Azerbaijan GP and becomes first driver with repeat wins in Baku

    Azerbaijan race

    Leclerc on pole while two teams starting in the pit lane ahead of the Azerbaijan GP

    Sergio Perez

    Perez beats Leclerc to victory in Baku Sprint as Verstappen left fuming

    Sprint

    Leclerc, Perez and Verstappen voice their concerns ahead of the first Sprint Race of the season

    qualifying

    Azerbaijan Grand Prix organisers secure three-year deal to remain on Formula 1 calendar until 2026

    • Latest
    • Driver News
    • Team News
  • Features
    • All
    • Interviews
    • Race Reports 2020
    • Race Reports 2021
    Verstappen, Australia

    Driver reaction as Max Verstappen wins the Australian GP after sheer chaos across all 58 laps

    Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez

    FP3 Saudi Arabia: Red Bull domination continues with one-two to finish practice

    Verstappen, FP2, Saudi

    FP2 Saudi Arabia: Verstappen remains out front while Hamilton’s struggles magnified

    Verstappen

    FP1 Saudi Arabia: Max Verstappen fastest but Aston Martin showing pace at Jeddah

    • Interviews
    • Race Reports 2020
    • Race Reports 2021
  • Races
    • Race Calendar
    • Championship standings
  • More
    • Quiz
    • Competitions
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Driver News
    • Latest
    • Team News
    Albert Park

    UPDATE: COVERAGE WILL RESUME IN FULL FOR THE 2024 SEASON

    Verstappen

    Max Verstappen extends championship lead with Miami GP win

    Perez Pole

    Miami GP starting grid: Perez to lead from lights out ahead of Alonso, Sainz and Magnussen

    Baku, Championship Standings

    Here are the Championship Standings ahead of the Miami GP

    Perez, Red Bull

    DRIVER REACTION: Perez wins the Azerbaijan GP and becomes first driver with repeat wins in Baku

    Azerbaijan race

    Leclerc on pole while two teams starting in the pit lane ahead of the Azerbaijan GP

    Sergio Perez

    Perez beats Leclerc to victory in Baku Sprint as Verstappen left fuming

    Sprint

    Leclerc, Perez and Verstappen voice their concerns ahead of the first Sprint Race of the season

    qualifying

    Azerbaijan Grand Prix organisers secure three-year deal to remain on Formula 1 calendar until 2026

    • Latest
    • Driver News
    • Team News
  • Features
    • All
    • Interviews
    • Race Reports 2020
    • Race Reports 2021
    Verstappen, Australia

    Driver reaction as Max Verstappen wins the Australian GP after sheer chaos across all 58 laps

    Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez

    FP3 Saudi Arabia: Red Bull domination continues with one-two to finish practice

    Verstappen, FP2, Saudi

    FP2 Saudi Arabia: Verstappen remains out front while Hamilton’s struggles magnified

    Verstappen

    FP1 Saudi Arabia: Max Verstappen fastest but Aston Martin showing pace at Jeddah

    • Interviews
    • Race Reports 2020
    • Race Reports 2021
  • Races
    • Race Calendar
    • Championship standings
  • More
    • Quiz
    • Competitions
No Result
View All Result
Straight to the grid
No Result
View All Result

Declan Quigley: Red Bull’s “machine is conspicuously the most nimble and fleet-footed on the grid”

Hamilton

Max Verstappen and Red Bull know now, if they weren’t already aware, that they need more than just the fastest car to win this year’s world title.

Lewis Hamilton’s 96th career success will surely be promoted right into his top ten most satisfying victories because the enduring impression is that the 36-year-old Briton pinched that win from Verstappen and Red Bull.

An aggressive early stop strategy gave Hamilton crucial track position and, DRS or not, it’s easier to be in front in modern F1.

However, it took all the guile, speed, and tyre management finesse of a seven-time world champion to convert that opportunity into a surprisingly rare first-round success.

Hamilton made a small mistake as Verstappen was closing fast in the final six laps but in all other respects his performance was blemish-free.

Verstappen, by contrast, found himself with just a few opportunities to complete the pass on track in the closing stages and his efforts seemed a little hurried.

He exceeded track limits passing Hamilton and, while he quickly gave the position back, he endured another slightly scruffy lap cleaning his tyres before he could redouble his efforts to pass again. As it turned out, the moment was gone.

The Dutchman and his team can at least take great solace from knowing that their machine is conspicuously the most nimble and fleet-footed on the grid.

Honda have pulled out all the stops ahead of their withdrawal at the end of the year and they can reasonably believe that they can go out with a title success.

For Hamilton and Mercedes, they’ve built up a small buffer over their rivals while, for the first time in a while, not enjoying an equipment advantage.

As they work flat out to reduce the lap time deficit to their “high rake” rivals, they’re doing so from the lead rather than chasing the game.

Behind the thoroughly engrossing lead battle, there was much to enjoy. Lando Norris despatched Daniel Ricciardo in their first battle for supremacy at McLaren and the Englishman’s credentials have received another boost from his fourth-place finish.

Yuki Tsunoda got the least publicity of all three F1 debutants ahead of race one but his drive to ninth was assured, while Mick Schumacher did what he needed by comfortably outqualifying his rookie team mate Nikita Mazepin and then bringing the year-old Haas home at the back of the finishing order.

Schumacher survived a spin while Mazepin was less fortunate. The Russian’s debut was fraught, his opening lap crash just one of a number of off-track excursions on a trying debut at the top level for the controversial young Formula 2 graduate.

At the other end of the experience scale, Fernando Alonso is steeling himself for a long season with the Alpine and the Spaniard showed that the fire still burns with a top ten qualifying run which, one suspected, was probably more than his car deserved.

His first stint pace confirmed that as he faded from contention but by then we were already engrossed in a fabulous battle for the win. This has the makings of a truly memorable season.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • X

Related

Tags: HamiltonPost-race analysisTsunodaVerstappen
Previous Post

Wolff admits Red Bull are leading the pack while ‘the racing gods’ were on their side in Bahrain

Next Post

Haas reveal their only focus this season is bringing the fight to Williams

Related Posts

Albert Park
Latest

UPDATE: COVERAGE WILL RESUME IN FULL FOR THE 2024 SEASON

Verstappen
Latest

Max Verstappen extends championship lead with Miami GP win

Perez Pole
Latest

Miami GP starting grid: Perez to lead from lights out ahead of Alonso, Sainz and Magnussen

Baku, Championship Standings
Latest

Here are the Championship Standings ahead of the Miami GP

Perez, Red Bull
Latest

DRIVER REACTION: Perez wins the Azerbaijan GP and becomes first driver with repeat wins in Baku

Azerbaijan race
Latest

Leclerc on pole while two teams starting in the pit lane ahead of the Azerbaijan GP

Next Post
Red Bull, Max Verstappen in Bahrain

Verstappen gives major RB19 update in Bahrain which may raise concern among other teams in the paddock

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Latest figures show F1 to be the second fastest growing major sports league on the planet

Latest figures show F1 to be the second fastest growing major sports league on the planet

30 years ago Jordan Grand Prix made its Formula One debut

30 years ago Jordan Grand Prix made its Formula One debut

Jordan

INTERVIEW: Eddie Jordan is an ‘irrepressible character’ who ‘ducked and dived’ to make it in F1

standings

Championship Standings: Max Verstappen leads as we head to Texas

Red Bull, Max Verstappen in Bahrain

Verstappen gives major RB19 update in Bahrain which may raise concern among other teams in the paddock

Aston Martin, FP2, Bahrain

Fernando Alonso shocks spectators as he places his Aston Martin at the top of the FP2 timesheet in Bahrain

Mercedes, George Russell, Bahrain

Issues persist for Mercedes as George Russell complains about floor and a ‘disturbance aerodynamically’

Aston Martin, FP2

Friday, Bahrain: Here are the full results from FP1 and FP2 as Aston Martin impress

Albert Park

UPDATE: COVERAGE WILL RESUME IN FULL FOR THE 2024 SEASON

Verstappen

Max Verstappen extends championship lead with Miami GP win

Perez Pole

Miami GP starting grid: Perez to lead from lights out ahead of Alonso, Sainz and Magnussen

Baku, Championship Standings

Here are the Championship Standings ahead of the Miami GP

Recent News

Albert Park

UPDATE: COVERAGE WILL RESUME IN FULL FOR THE 2024 SEASON

Verstappen

Max Verstappen extends championship lead with Miami GP win

Perez Pole

Miami GP starting grid: Perez to lead from lights out ahead of Alonso, Sainz and Magnussen

Baku, Championship Standings

Here are the Championship Standings ahead of the Miami GP

Popular Stories

  • Albert Park

    UPDATE: COVERAGE WILL RESUME IN FULL FOR THE 2024 SEASON

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Red Bull suggest Verstappen ‘went unconscious’ amid July Silverstone crash

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Fernando Alonso’s message to ‘future world champ’ George Russell

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas have high hopes for Saudi Arabia GP with a one-two start

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Christian Horner issues upbeat message as Max Verstappen says ‘I do not feel good’

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Straight to the Grid

Straight to the Grid

Straight to the Grid is Ireland's first exclusive Formula One news source, bringing fans all of the latest
news, results, interviews, features and much more!

Navigation

  • Catch up
  • Competitions
  • Driver News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Irish F1
  • Latest
  • News
  • Quiz
  • Race Reports 2020
  • Race Reports 2021
  • Race Reports 2022
  • Team News
  • Uncategorized

Instagram

    The Instagram Access Token is expired, Go to the Customizer > JNews : Social, Like & View > Instagram Feed Setting, to refresh it.
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Latest
    • Driver News
    • Team News
  • Features
    • Interviews
    • Race Reports 2020
    • Race Reports 2021
    • Race Reports 2022
  • Races
    • Championship standings
    • Race Calendar
  • More
    • Quiz
    • Competitions

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.